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Date: 08 Jul 2006 19:02:47
From: Bertie Doe
Subject: Best Before Date on coffee
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Once upon a time, pre alt.coffee, about 3 upgrades ago and before I roasted
my own greens, I owned one of those Woolworths electric moka pots. I used
preground Illy and Lavazza + sugar + cream, ignorance was bliss, down in
Dingley Dell.
Today, on a nostalgia trip thru' the supermarket's coffee section (as one
does), I glanced at a 250gr vacpac of Lavazza preground and noticed the
'best before date' was March 30th 2008. Engaging positive mode and assuming
it was roasted and ground one week ago - this gives the life expectancy of
this foodstuff, of 1yr 9mnths.
So, if I'm in another supermarket and see a pack's BBD of 1yr 3mnths hence,
can I assume the contents are 6 months old or are they simply using a random
numbers generator? Anyone in the biz, know the answer to this one?
Bertie
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Date: 09 Jul 2006 01:05:00
From: I->Ian
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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On Sat, 8 Jul 2006 19:02:47 +0100, "Bertie Doe"
<montebrasite4@ntl.com > wrote:
>Once upon a time, pre alt.coffee, about 3 upgrades ago and before I roasted
>my own greens, I owned one of those Woolworths electric moka pots. I used
>preground Illy and Lavazza + sugar + cream, ignorance was bliss, down in
>Dingley Dell.
>Today, on a nostalgia trip thru' the supermarket's coffee section (as one
>does), I glanced at a 250gr vacpac of Lavazza preground and noticed the
>'best before date' was March 30th 2008. Engaging positive mode and assuming
>it was roasted and ground one week ago - this gives the life expectancy of
>this foodstuff, of 1yr 9mnths.
>So, if I'm in another supermarket and see a pack's BBD of 1yr 3mnths hence,
>can I assume the contents are 6 months old or are they simply using a random
>numbers generator? Anyone in the biz, know the answer to this one?
>Bertie
>
If it's in a bag in a supermarket, it's well past its BBD.
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Date: 08 Jul 2006 13:31:35
From: Don C.
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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Actually the BBD is a marketing decision by the company and less of an
industry standard. Not only that but it seems to be a moving target
withing companies themselves. For example I have heard numbers ranging
from 8 months to 1 year for Starbucks bagged coffee.
Panera bagged coffee is 1 year. The coffee served in the store though
has only a 4 month shelf-life.
Yet another vindication for us home roasters. As if we needed one,
right?
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Date: 08 Jul 2006 22:09:02
From: Bertie Doe
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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"Don C." wrote in message >
> Actually the BBD is a marketing decision by the company and less of an
> industry standard. Not only that but it seems to be a moving target
> withing companies themselves. For example I have heard numbers ranging
> from 8 months to 1 year for Starbucks bagged coffee.
>
> Panera bagged coffee is 1 year. The coffee served in the store though
> has only a 4 month shelf-life.
>
I've heard it said on alt.coffee, therefore it must be true, that grounds
from the previous grind, should be removed from the grinder chute - to avoid
stale tastes.
On that basis, preground coffee, should have a shelf-life of about 2
minutes. In fact, it shouldn't reach the shelf, it should be consumed on the
roaster's premises.
Bertie
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Date: 08 Jul 2006 22:58:23
From: The Other Funk
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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"Bertie Doe" <montebrasite4@ntl.com > wrote in message
news:4hal7hF1q0q2kU1@individual.net...
> I've heard it said on alt.coffee, therefore it must be true, that grounds
> from the previous grind, should be removed from the grinder chute - to
> avoid stale tastes.
> On that basis, preground coffee, should have a shelf-life of about 2
> minutes. In fact, it shouldn't reach the shelf, it should be consumed on
> the roaster's premises.
> Bertie
As it should.
If you go to a Staple or Office Depot, look at the BBD on the coffee they
sell there. I even saw an expired bag once.
You'll come running back to alt.coffee, the last bastion of people you care
about what they drink.
Bob
--
Coffee worth staying up for - NY Times
www.moondoggiecoffee.com
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Date: 09 Jul 2006 09:43:18
From:
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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In the U.S. government agencies require dating on food that may become
harmful to humans after a certain amount of time after manufacture such
as dairy products, and canned vegetables. Coffee requires no pull-date
as it may become bad tasting to some but never becomes a health hazard.
Many coffee companies do not date their goods. Many of those that do
use encoded information for their own use. Those that choose to date
plainly for the consumer to read choose between Roast-dating, Born-on
dating, and Pull-dating. Coffee product longevity as illustrated in
pull-dates may be based on packing material fabricator's claims for
their materials, or on return/ merchandise credit policies between the
roaster and their key retailer customers or on other factors that may
have to do with scientific evidence based on research, or marketing
concerns and/or supply chain issues which may have something or nothing
to do with the relative freshness of the product.
-Donald Schoenholt
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Date: 08 Jul 2006 21:12:42
From: Don C.
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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In fact I didn't notice the phrase "roasted and ground" in your post. I
assumed you were referring to whole beans. I forgot they still sold
preground coffee in bags. I thought it only came in cans.
I haven't purchased preground since 1984 when I got my first blade
grinder.
I'm not sure about Starbucks but Panera doesn't sell prebagged
preground (though they will grind for you), at least they didn't when I
worked there.
The oldest coffee I've had in the past year was 21 days post roast and
that was an experiment. Generally I throw away beans at 14 days but I
usually time my roasting batches so that I finish a batch at 10 days
just as a couple more are finishing 72 hours rest.
Bertie Doe wrote:
> "Don C." wrote in message >
> > Actually the BBD is a marketing decision by the company and less of an
> > industry standard. Not only that but it seems to be a moving target
> > withing companies themselves. For example I have heard numbers ranging
> > from 8 months to 1 year for Starbucks bagged coffee.
> >
> > Panera bagged coffee is 1 year. The coffee served in the store though
> > has only a 4 month shelf-life.
> >
> I've heard it said on alt.coffee, therefore it must be true, that grounds
> from the previous grind, should be removed from the grinder chute - to avoid
> stale tastes.
> On that basis, preground coffee, should have a shelf-life of about 2
> minutes. In fact, it shouldn't reach the shelf, it should be consumed on the
> roaster's premises.
> Bertie
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Date: 09 Jul 2006 18:09:17
From: Bertie Doe
Subject: Re: Best Before Date on coffee
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"Don C." wrote in message
> In fact I didn't notice the phrase "roasted and ground" in your post. I
> assumed you were referring to whole beans. I forgot they still sold
> preground coffee in bags. I thought it only came in cans.
>
Sorry Don, I did use the word preground, I meant to say 'roasted and
ground.' Another company that vac-packs is Dow Egberts. In fact it's such a
good vacuum, that the pack feels like a brick. Ok, I guess this method may
extend the freshness by a few days, but not to 1yr 9months, I wouldn't touch
it. Bob's experience (above) of seeing coffee that had expired it's BBD, is
a bit scarey.
Another amusing item on the pack is "This grind is suitable for all makes of
machines."
Nope, I'll stick with my Hearthware Precision and green beans (half the
price of the Lavazza, incidently), but it's nice to know ...... what you're
missing.
Bertie
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